Is Your Practice Struggling with ICD-10?
You Are Not Alone.
There has been a significant amount of chatter regarding the new ICD-10 codes. Unfortunately, most of the talk is not good.
A quick scan of SERMO, a social network exclusively for doctors (which you may well be a part of) yields some honest, raw insight into how ICD-10 is affecting practices on the ground level.
Out of the nearly 200 members that responded to a recent SERMO poll, 86% stated the new ICD-10 codes have impacted patient care. The response has been overwhelmingly negative, from immunologists to family care doctors, and all healthcare professionals in between:
- “It has added boatloads of time.”
- "Adds an extra 60-80 minutes per 12-hour shift."
- “Wait times to get through to insurance is now 3 hours.”
- “The personnel at the insurance companies do not know how to answer any ICD-10 related questions.”
- “It takes a gazillion hours to fill out lab requisition forms looking up new and useless codes …”
- "Waiting time for new patient appointments is longer."
- “No one is listening!”
It’s clear that many doctors and staff members are spending so much time trying to track down or fumble with the right codes that it feels like there's no time left to actually care for patients.
CMS Estimates Coding Time
Will Increase by 69%!
New coding requires a significant increase in specificity. The code must now include details such as: severity, location, laterality, stage, and associated symptoms.
Let's take gout as an example. Did you know that in ICD-10, there are a whopping 121 variations for gout? With that many codes, how do you ensure you are selecting the right one? The increase in specificity means the descriptions are longer, and there are more codes to choose from. It is estimated that coding time will increase by 69%.
CMS estimates that denials will double or triple because of incomplete or inaccurate coding. The average biller presently spends 25-30% of their time on working denials. The anticipated ICD-10 burden equates to an additional half-day to full-day’s work.
Where are you going to get that extra time?
In addition, the physician’s documentation must match coding in order to avoid risk of audit failure. This means that more time selecting appropriate codes, for both the physician and biller, will be needed.
The End Result? A Permanent
5-10% Loss of Production.
Significant changes to your EMR’s documentation templates will need to be made. This is expected to create a minimum of 5-10% increase in time for providers, thus resulting in a 5-10% loss of production. And according to the AMA, this is a permanent increase. Although physician workload is increasing, there is, of course, no expected increase in payment.
There must be consistency between the documentation of the visit on the clinical side and the coding on the billing side. Coders will have no choice but to return records to the physician for clarification. Large volumes of medical records returned to physicians will result in an even greater loss of productivity for both the physician and the coder ... as well as an ultimate loss of revenue for the practice.
Experts have recommended that a practice have enough in reserve to cover expenses for 3-6 months! Many practices are concerned about this, as they should be.
The Current System Is Tedious and Outdated.
Here's Why.
Virtually every EMR and PMS utilizes a traditional “Google-like” multi-word search to select a code. Say a patient has a fractured ulna. Normally, you would enter 'FRACTURE' to do a search. This results in an overwhelming amount of codes, 25,094 to be exact!
The next step is to narrow the search by entering 'ULNA' which yields 2,225 results. Narrow it further by entering 'SHAFT' and you still get 840 codes to choose from.
Even after limiting the search, it’s apparent that both the physician and biller will need additional time to ensure the right code is selected. This approach is tedious, and takes up far too much valuable time. You can see why the AMA predicts this will have a significant impact on physician productivity.
Finally, A Fully-Integrated Solution That Allows You To
Spend Time on the 'Patient' Not the 'Process'
10-Guide is our simple, intuitive tool that allows you to select accurate and complete codes quickly -- both for providers and billers. 10-Guide drastically reduces the training time and learning curve; eliminates the anticipated increase in denials; and eliminates productivity loss.
Here's How It Works:
Using the same example of an ulna fracture from above, you select 'FRACTURE.' This presents a list of a few options, say 'FRACTURE OF FOREARM.' 10-Guide presents a list of just 7 related options. Select 'SHAFT OF ULNA' and having selected that, the next level of options are presented, where you might select 'SPIRAL.' Then select 'DISPLACED, RIGHT ARM.' Finally, select the appropriate treatments stage. That’s all there is to it.
If you wanted to do a multi-word search, enter 'FRACTURE ULNA SHAFT.' 10-Guide presents the next level of options where you can quickly select 'SPIRAL' and 'DISPLACED, RIGHT' and select the appropriate treatment stage.
10-Guide Displays the Full, Seven-Digit ICD-10 Code
Because all of the pertinent details and available options are presented, you can easily modify your selection. As you select the relevant details, 10-Guide builds the code from your selections. With those easy steps, you and your staff will selected a very detailed and eminently accurate code. 10-Guide is a simple, intuitive way to quickly select accurate and complete codes for both providers and billers.
10-Guide: A Smooth Transition Without
Increasing Staff or Breaking the Bank.
10-Guide is a simple, intuitive, fast, and accurate ICD-10 code selection tool that is fully integrated in the EMR and billing system. The organization of ICD-10 codes introduces a “tree” structure of related codes, which allows you to select one level at a time, in logical sequence.
Your practice will drastically reduce training time and associated learning curves, eliminate the anticipated increase in denials, and eliminate productivity loss. Your practice does not need to face the nightmare scenario so many experts are predicting. You can make a smooth transition ... without decreasing productivity, increasing staff, or breaking the bank.
Contact Us For A Free, No-Risk Demo Today.
Hundreds of practices have trusted our efficient, reliable, and user-friendly solutions. Visit www.hstcentral.com or call (800) 398-6170 between 9:00AM to 3:00PM Eastern weekdays, and in less than 30 minutes you’ll see if 10-Guide is right for your practice. Have your questions answered, with no sales pressure – guaranteed.
Find Out How 10-Guide Can Help Make ICD-10 Easy.
Call Us at (800) 398-6170 Today.
Finally, a fully-integrated solution that allows you to spend your time on the 'practice' of patient care, rather than the administrative 'process.'
Finally, a fully-integrated solution that allows you to spend more time in the 'practice' of medicine -- and less time on the administrative 'process' of delivering care.
FRUSTRATED WITH ICD-10?